Binary Opposition Narrative structure
The other researcher that gives attention to structural analysis is Hubert Zapf 1985: 266-271
. He concludes that Holden‟s actions in the novel are well-ordered, thus showing the unity of the text. According to Zapf 1985: 266, the actions making
up the narrative of The Catcher in the Rye follow a specific logic which can be described with structuralist means. He provides a homological model for Holden‟s
action in The Catcher in the Rye: strong desire to return to childhood —desire for
adulthood experience —rejection of adult world—rejection by adult world” Zapf,
1985: 267. These base language rules motivate all of Holden‟s actions throughout
the story: Holden wants to join the adult but he is rejected by them. The studies done by Trowbridge, Bryan, and Zapf contribute to the
framework of this study in ana lyzing J.D. Salinger‟s The Catcher in the Rye in the
scope of structuralism approach. It can be summarized that Bryan‟s research
examines the narrative text from Holden‟s psychological background, but still has relation to the study of the structure of the novel. Trowbridge focuses on the
characters as the carrier of n arrative‟s symbol whereas Zapf gives attention on the
plot in which it describes the main character‟s actions as the basis of the novel‟s
narrative structure. Furthermore, the distinctive feature of this research is that it examines the
intrinsic element motif in the novel. No previous study is done until the same procedure such as this one. This study gives a new perspective from the theory of
binary opposition by examining the motifs in the narrative. It develops the other previous related structuralism studies and expectedly, to discover something new.